


One Wish Left

by LI0NH34RT, xSophie2x



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: ALL THE FLUFF, And a little bit of angst, Fluff, Genie!Theo, Happy Ending, Liam is a selfless bean, M/M, Misunderstandings, Thiam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-06-02 21:01:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19449451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LI0NH34RT/pseuds/LI0NH34RT, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xSophie2x/pseuds/xSophie2x
Summary: "I wish that I would have never met you!""Your wish is my command, master..."Or the one where Theo is a genie and Liam his master.





	One Wish Left

_(Prologue)_  
_# When Liam first wandered into the antique shop by accident and came across the shiny, golden lamp, he had no idea how much trouble it would cause him._

  
_Initially, he made a joke about it, laughing at whoever would sell such a lamp that looked like it was supposed to make people believe that there was a genie inside. He’d bought it for fun, thinking that it would make a nice addition to his small, still undecorated apartment and he could make fun of it with whoever came over._

  
_Mason would surely give the same kind of reaction to it as he had._  
_It was only a few days later, though, that he noticed that something was not right with that lamp. Clumsy as he was, he’d stubbed his toe on the table and winced, angrily mumbling that: ‘Life was always against him and he wished that he had never bought that stupid table.’_  
_He jumped though, when he suddenly heard a voice behind him. ‘Your wish is my command.’_  
_Liam turned around, sputtering when he saw what was behind him, with his mouth half open. ‘What the…’_

  
_‘Congratulations,’ the guy that had come out of his fucking lamp said in a sarcastic voice. ‘You have found me. I can now grant you three wishes. Do you still wish for that table to disappear?’_  
_‘What the fuck!?’ was the only that Liam could get past his lips, staring at the guy who seemed to have chains around his ankles. ‘Who are you? What are you doing in my house!?’_  
_‘Oh right,’ the guy responded a little bit bored, as if he had forgotten the part where he introduced himself in the past more than once, and wouldn’t mind skipping it. ‘I’m Theo. I’m a genie.’_  
_‘A genie!?’_  
_Theo didn’t look impressed. ‘Yes,’ he said, clearly wishing that Liam would get over the initial shock soon. ‘Now you didn’t answer my question. Do you still wish for that table to disappear?’_  
_Liam gaped at him, starting to understand that saying that had allowed Theo to come out, but he still couldn’t really make sense of everything else, his mind working much too fast. There was a genie in his house. An actual fucking genie, that wasn’t supposed to exist. Liam didn’t know how he felt about that. ‘You leave my table out of this!’ he growled. ‘Now how do I make you go away?’_

  
_Theo sighed, crossing his arms. ‘By making three wishes, of course,’ he said flatly. ‘But I should tell you that I can’t kill, can’t resurrect, and can’t make people fall in love.’_  
_Liam frowned, narrowing his eyes. ‘You know, if I’m going to wish for something, I have to think of something really good first.’_  
_‘Of course, master,’ Theo said unimpressed, emphasising the last word with a snarl. He was getting tired of how slow Liam was in understanding all of this._  
_‘Okay,’ Liam said, a grin growing on his face. ‘Then I’ll call you when I need you.’_  
_‘I’m looking forward to it,’ Theo mumbled, before turning around, and diving back into the lamp._

~♤~

With a smile on his face, ready for his usual morning coffee, Liam walked into his regular coffee shop. He’d been coming here for a while now, though he felt like he forgot the reason why.

Everything is familiar, the smile the barista is offering him, his order that tastes just a little more like vanilla here and the cozy place at the window. Liam leans back, his hands warm around the coffee cup as he watches the people walking by on the street, his gaze falling on the shop logos across the street. A bakery, a book shop and an antique store. _Huh? Has this been there all the time?_

With new energy Liam downs the rest of his drink and collects his things.  
Five minutes later the little bell over the door chimes as he enters the warm and slightly stuffy house of "The Greatest Treasure".

"Can I help you, Sir?" A small, middle aged woman, her grey hair in a tight bun, smiles at Liam from behind the counter.  
"No, no, thank you", he returns the gesture, "I just want to quarry a bit."

There are mostly old furniture and weird dolls in the store and the boy quickly gets bored of looking at them. Just when he turns around, ready to leave and write off his weird attraction to this place as even that, weird, he sees it.  
On a shelf in the corner sits a shiny golden lamp.

~♤~

_‘Uhm, I’ve been thinking…’ Liam said, looking at Theo. ‘And I… Can I make a wish again?’_

  
_Theo paused, where he was sitting with his hand still in the popcorn bowl, and looked over at Liam. He couldn’t deny that it hurt a little, now with their second wish getting them closer to the end, but the first wish had worked out pretty well, and he couldn’t say no. ‘You can make your wishes whenever you want, Liam,’ he said softly._

  
_Liam nodded, a grin growing on his face and a sparkle in his eyes, that told Theo that he had another good idea for a wish, just like the first time. Something that made him excited with bright eyes that made him look so beautiful._  
_‘Okay, so I was thinking,’ he started, ‘And just hear me out, but to wish for a cat!’_  
_Theo raised his eyebrows, snorting. ‘A cat? Liam, you don’t even like those.’_

  
_‘No but you do,’ Liam said simply, watching as the realization slowly dawned on Theo. He looked up, frowning. ‘You want…?’_  
_‘To use my wish for you,’ Liam replied. ‘Wouldn’t it just be selfish to use all of them for myself, when you deserve one too? I want to give something nice to you instead of you always giving nice things to others.’_

  
_Theo huffed, staring straight ahead as he slid down the back of the couch. ‘I don’t need anything,’ he said flatly, as he thought over Liam’s words. They stung a little, especially with the way Liam phrased them. It sounded like Liam felt sorry for him, but Theo didn’t need that. He’d lived his entire life in a lamp serving selfish people wishing for money or expensive things, it was what he was good at and what he was used to, he didn’t need anything else. And he didn’t need anyone feeling sorry for him trying to change what he deserved._

  
_‘I don’t want a cat, Liam,’ Theo said flatly, his eyes following the movie still playing on the_  
_screen._  
_‘What?’ Liam asked, chuckling. ‘But you said… You like cats, you said you always wanted one.’_  
_‘Yeah,’ Theo responded. ‘But we don’t always get the things we want, do we?’_  
_Liam groaned, pausing the movie and tightening his grip on the remote so that his knuckles turned white. ‘Okay, you need to stop wallowing in that self-pity, Theo, damnit! I just thought… I thought that having a cat here would be nice! For you!’_  
_‘What, because you feel sorry for me!?’ Theo called back. ‘I don’t need you pitying me, I grant people wishes and when they’ve done that I move on. That’s how it works. That’s my life and how it will always be. Why can’t you just make your wishes and let me go, just like everybody else? I know my life is different, but I’m not your charity case! I don’t want your pity just because my life’s a little unconventional! It’s all I know. And when you inevitably make your final wish, you’ll be stuck with your stupid cat.’_

  
_Liam’s jaw was tight, his blue eyes cold like ice water when he looked at Theo. ‘Charity case?’ he repeated, quieter this time, almost like a whisper, threatening. ‘That’s what you think I think of you?’_  
_Theo stayed silent, he swallowed._

  
_‘Well I’ve got news for you, Theo,’ Liam continued. ‘It’s not. I wanted to do something nice for you, make my place a little happier for you, because I thought we were friends. That’s what friends do.’_  
_‘Yeah, well…’ Theo started, only to be interrupted by Liam again._  
_‘You don’t need it,’ he said. ‘I know. You made that very clear.’_  
_With a huff, Liam turned towards the TV again, leaving a tense silence between them for a few moments before Liam decided that he still had more things to say, and broke the silence. ‘You know, I never had any ill intent towards you, even if you didn’t trust it,’ he said. ‘I just wanted to be nice, but that’s not my fault. And if you… If you’re only ever gonna be like this, then I wish we’d never met at all.’_

  
_Theo coughed, swallowing as the words rung loudly in his ears, the only thing he could hear in the silent room, and he was frozen. Thinking back on the last time this happened, only then it was the third time, not the second._  
_To know that Liam wished him gone even sooner now… It made his blood run cold and tears sting in his eyes. He’d have to say goodbye, again._

  
_‘Whatever you wish,’ he mumbled, looking down at his lap and the words leaving a sour taste in his mouth, sounding wrong even to his ears. He snapped his fingers, looking up at Liam as the room around them began to spin. Liam still had that same icy cold look in his eyes, though now Theo could swear he saw a hint of regret too. He swallowed the bile rising in his throat, because it was too late. He couldn’t go back and fix it now._

  
_Soon, the cold look with the undertone of regret on Liam’s face made way for a puzzled one, as he looked from the bowl of popcorn to the paused movie on the TV, to the crease still on the couch as if someone had been sitting there only moments before. As if he really had been together with someone else. But who?_

  
_The sight of it made the tears sting in Theo’s eyes as the room went blurry, and he knew that’s what heartbreak felt like. Liam didn’t want him. He only realized it sooner now then the last time._

  
_Then, Theo was surrounded by the same familiar walls and items he’d seen so many times in his life. The antique items he knew better than anything else. He was back there again. In the antique shop. And this time he knew that technically, the chance that Liam would come in here a third time, would be significantly smaller._

~♤~

‘You know, this TV-show is actually pretty dumb,’ Theo, the genie said, as he was sitting next to Liam on the couch.

  
Liam was staring at the screen, invested, a small smile on his face.  
He still couldn't believe that there was an actual magical being in his living room.  
‘Dumb, maybe, but also very entertaining.’  
Theo snorted, looking at him. ‘At some point it stops being entertaining when the main character keeps making stupid decisions, Liam.’  
‘I think it’s funny,’ Liam replied. ‘Definitely reminds me that my own choices aren’t actually that bad.’

  
‘You and I clearly have a different sense of humor,’ Theo said.  
Liam nodded. He had concluded that a while ago already. Ever since he first came eye to eye with the genie, it had taken them both a while to get used to each other, and warm up to each other. Liam thought he wasn’t really prepared for having a sudden, unexpected roommate, one that was suddenly there every day when he woke up and wanted breakfast. One that he couldn’t even really tell his family and friends about. Liam had known that he’d never been a morning person, and putting up with Theo and his snarky remarks had been a little hard at first. Over time, though, he realized that he had started to look forward to it, making his  
mornings a little better. He liked Theo’s sarcasm, and he couldn’t help but think that he saw Theo smiling faintly every time he was being weird himself.

  
‘Can I ask you something?’ Liam asked then.

  
Theo looked up. ‘You just have,’ he said, causing Liam to roll his eyes before he burst out laughing. ‘Sure, ask away,’ he chuckled.  
‘What’s gonna happen when… I make my last wish?’ Liam asked carefully.  
Theo sucked in a breath; he hadn’t expected their conversation to take this turn so soon again. With a serious expression on his face, he looked up at Liam.  
‘I thought I’d told you,’ he said. ‘I move on. You get your three wishes, and I get another master.’

  
Liam stayed silent for a moment, looking down at his lap and fumbling with his hands. ‘That sounds terrible,’ he said quietly then.  
Theo remained silent, not needing to say anything. It was terrible.  
Liam sighed then, turning to him. ‘But what if I don’t make my third wish?’ he asked.  
Theo blinked. ‘Liam, eventually you have to-,’ he started, but Liam interrupted him. ‘Yeah, but what if I don’t, at least not right away!?’  
Theo sighed. ‘Then I’ll have to stay with you until you do. That’s how it works.’  
Liam’s face lit up at that. ‘Then I’ll do that. I have the time, right?’

  
Theo stayed silent, nodding slowly. Technically… He knew Liam had to make a wish eventually, but the fact that the boy was willing to wait, wanting Theo to stay with him, made him smile a little bit. Made his heart beat a little bit faster, and a warm feeling blooming in his chest.

~♤~

_Once upon a time, Theo thought he knew what it was to be happy. As his lamp was back at the antique store, standing in plain sight for anyone to see, he remembered a time with Liam where they were warming up to each other a little more already and planned a trip to the coffee shop together._

  
_‘Here we are,’ Liam said as he pushed the doors to the coffee shop open._  
_Theo stepped in after him, the chains around his ankles that chained him to his lamp still feeling heavy around his ankles, even with long jeans over them. He was still worried that everyone could see them, but Liam had reassured him that he would be fine._

  
_After choosing a table and telling Liam that he would like a cappuccino and a chocolate chip cookie, Theo sat down in the booth, nervously fumbling with his hands and looking around. It was a nice place, with large windows and light-coloured walls, but Theo felt like everybody was looking at him, like everybody knew his secret, and he couldn’t relax._  
_This was actually the first time he’d really been outside in all the time that he’d been a genie._  
_He looked up relieved when Liam came back, placing his drink and his cookie in front of him_  
_before sitting down across from him._

  
_The bag that he had with him, with Theo’s lamp that they had to take everywhere with them inside, was placed on the booth next to him._  
_‘You know, when you said you’d never really been outside, I didn’t think you actually meant it literally,’ Liam said, lifting his coffee cup to his lips._  
_‘Yeah, well, I didn’t really have much of a choice,’ Theo said, looking down and warming his hands on his own cup. No master before had ever taken him anywhere, all they seemed to care about were their wishes._  
_Liam was different._

  
_‘We can take a walk around in the mall after this, if you want,’ Liam said, nodding out of the window that had a view on the mall, and the people that were walking around there._  
_Theo smiled, nodding. ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘Yeah, I’d like that. I can see the bookstore from here.’_  
_‘You want to go there?’ Liam asked while looking out the window, taking a sip from his coffee._  
_Theo nodded, a little more eager than he would like to admit. Liam grinned. ‘Then we’ll do that after this, yeah?’_

  
_‘Yeah,’ Theo responded, a smile on his face, and a warm feeling in his chest._

~♤~

“You know, I wish”, Liam started, making Theo look up from his breakfast, the genie's heart involuntarily beating faster. This was it. The first wish. The beginning of the end.

  
Just when he almost got accustomed to his new master and just when he started to think that maybe, maybe Liam would be different.  
“I wish that I was rich. Like stupid, not needing to watch what I spend rich.”  
_And such a dumb wish too…_ Theo sighted internally rolling his eyes as he nodded with a stony face.

  
“Your wish is my command, master.”

“Really sir, we can't thank you enough! This hospital will be able to afford some much needed equipment now, all thanks to your generosity!”  
The woman in the suit wouldn't stop shaking Liam's hand as she thanked him again and again while Theo lingered behind and watched the scene enfold.

  
In the end Liam had surprised him after all, using his newly found wealth to help various charities around the globe, silently paying for his parents’ mortgage and making sure his best friend’s student loans didn't affect his credit rating anymore. Liam hadn't spend one cent for himself and wouldn't take any more than a sincere thank you (and the occasional homemade cake) as a reward for his financial aid. The past two weeks they had been to many hospitals, elderly residences and orphanages but also sneaking envelopes with hundred dollar bills in mailboxes and doing anonymous online transactions.  
Everything just because of one little wish.

Liam finally shook the woman's hand one last time before he turned around and came towards Theo.  
“That was the last one”, he stated, “all that money is gone and I still feel as if we only scratched the surface.”  
“You have done more than your share, Liam, in this past two weeks you did more good than most people in their entire lives”, the genie stated before pulling a ten dollar bill out of his jeans.

  
“Besides… not everything is gone, so what would you say to some ice cream?”

~♤~

_Theo thought back on the first time Liam had made his last wish. He’d known, even back then, that that was the end of it. He just wished that it could’ve happened in a way that was less disastrous.. If he could go back in time now and do it all again, he would make sure to do it right so that they would never get to that point where it all fell apart._

  
_‘By the way, I forgot to tell you earlier, but my parents are coming over tomorrow,’ Liam said as he put the last of the plates in the dishwasher._  
_A bit too casually for Theo’s liking. ‘What?’ He looked up._  
_Liam chuckled. ‘Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve seen them, we want to catch up. But don’t worry, I told them I have a roommate now.’_

  
_Theo swallowed, the thought of meeting Liam’s parents didn’t sit right with him. ‘Why?’_  
_‘Because there needs to be some kind of explanation for why you are here,’ Liam grinned, and Theo frowned._  
_‘No, I mean, I’m not exactly a normal roommate, am I?’ Theo asked a bit harsher than he meant, although he couldn’t help the anxious feeling at the thought of meeting his parents._  
_Liam frowned, straightening his back. ‘That’s not a problem. They won’t notice anything, no one has when we went out in public together.’_

  
_Theo stayed silent, he couldn’t tell Liam the real reason of why he didn’t want to meet his parents of course. He couldn’t tell him that it felt a bit too much like something a couple would do when he didn’t even know if Liam felt the same thing._  
_Liam crossed his arms. ‘You don’t want to meet my parents, do you?’_  
_Theo said nothing, he swallowed. He felt like there was no right answer to that question. Liam’s frown deepened._  
_‘Well,’ Theo started, clearing his throat. ‘Of course I do.’ He could see that Liam didn’t believe him._  
_‘You don’t want to meet my parents,’ he pointed out matter-of-factly. ‘Why not? You had no problem going out in public.’_  
_‘I…’ Theo started, knowing that what he said next was important. ‘I don’t…’_  
_‘If I remember correctly, actually,’ Liam interrupted him. ‘You weren’t so happy with having to grant my wishes at first either. You’ve heard me talking to my parents on the phone. Do you_  
_have a problem with them? Or with me?’_

  
_No! Theo thought. That was literally the opposite of what was going on. But he didn’t even have the right words to tell Liam that._  
_‘You have a problem with me, don’t you?’ Liam continued. ‘I don’t get it. What have I done?’_  
_It stayed silent, and Liam let out a sigh. ‘Are you not gonna say anything?’_  
_‘I don’t mind meeting your parents, Liam,’ Theo hurried to say, as it was the only thing he could think of. But Liam wasn’t happy to hear it._

  
_‘That’s not what I asked,’ he mumbled, turning around and putting back the dry towel. ‘You know what!?’ he asked, much louder, when he turned back around. ‘Having a problem with me is one thing, but it’s not fair for my parents, who you’ve never even met! I wish I’d never gone into that shop!’_

  
_Theo froze, his blood running cold, and he could the realization of what he’d said on Liam’s face. Both of them knowing it was already too late to take it back._  
_Liam had his hand over his mouth in shock, and Theo dropped his gaze to the floor, a painful feeling in his chest._  
_‘Your wish is my command,’ he mumbled, snapping his fingers._

  
_Then, everything began to spin around them, faster and faster until it was all a blur, and Theo could feel the tears on his cheeks. The last thing he saw was Liam, standing in the kitchen alone with a puzzled look on his face, and then he was gone. Back in the antique shop in his lamp. And ready to serve the next customer who walked in._  
_He wondered how many times Liam came here._

~♤~

There had always been some kind of attraction between them. Theo had felt something from the first time Liam had freed him from the lamp, the first time he ever got a look of those blue eyes. For him it was clear as day, he loved Liam with all his heart and every time the other man would send him back it hurt a little more.

For Liam on the other hand everything was new once more, of course the genie couldn't expect him to actually reciprocate the feelings… but still, the more time they spent together, the more Theo yearns after Liam's touch, a smile directed at him, any sign of affection.

So when they sat on the couch and he felt a warm hand on his, slowly intertwining their fingers the genie's heart beats faster.  
"Master… what…?"  
"How many times have I told you to call me Liam?" The other man asked with a smile, bringing his other hand up to cup Theo's face.

_More times than you know…_  
"What are you doing?"  
Liam's fingers carefully wandered over his face, taking in every aspect of Theo's appearance, "Something we both wanted to do for a long time."  
With that he leaned forward, softly brushing his lips over the genie's, asking, giving opportunity to pull back.  
Theo didn't.  
The parts where his body touched Liam's feel so warm, so _alive_ , like he has never felt before and he never wants it to end-

"-eo? Theo? Come on, wake up sleepy head!"

Theo opened his eyes, blinking a few times to see clearly again and took in his surroundings. He half sat half lied on the couch, his legs dangling over the armrest and his head, well his head rested on Liam's lap.  
The other man smiled down at him, "Finally! Come on, you little ghost, we need to get in an actual bed or my neck will kill me tomorrow."

  
Reluctantly Theo sat up, supporting himself on his elbows for a moment before he swung his feet on the ground, effectively freeing Liam from his weight.  
"Ghost?", he asked finally.  
"Well, genies are basically lamp ghosts right?", Liam grinned carelessly and the sweet gesture almost made up for the weird emptiness the dream had left in Theo's heart.

~♤~

_‘You know you could’ve told me this could happen,’ Liam chuckled. ‘Who knew genies could get sick too?’_  
_Theo looked up at him, pulling up the bedcovers a little further up to his chin to try and hide his blushing cheeks. ‘Well, apparently I’m human enough for…’ He was interrupted by a series of heavy coughs, covering his mouth with his hand. Liam frowned worriedly._

  
_‘...human enough for this,’ Theo mumbled, once the coughing stopped. With a groan he fell back against his pillows, his face a little too pale for Liam’s liking. He reached out, placing his hand on Theo’s slightly sweaty forehead to feel his temperature, and noticed immediately that he was warm. Warmer than he should be._  
_‘I think you’ve got a fever,’ he said softly._

  
_Theo huffed, crossing his arms. In all the years that he’d been alive, he had never once been sick. Ever. Though he knew the reason why it changed now. It was because of Liam, because of the constant kindness that the man had shown him and how Theo had come to need that more than anything else now. How much Theo appreciated being treated like a normal person and liked being around Liam._  
_‘It’s okay,’ Liam interrupted his thoughts. ‘I made you some soup.’_

  
_Theo looked up in surprise, though he couldn’t hide his smile. Liam carefully placed the bowl on the nightstand, putting some pillows at Theo’s back so he could sit up and have the bowl of soup on his lap._  
_‘Careful, it’s hot.’_

  
_Theo smiled, carefully bringing the spoon this mouth. Liam sighed, walking over to grab a book out of the bookcase and sat down in the chair in the corner of the room. Theo took another bite of the soup and looked up, glancing at Liam who was reading with a concentrated frown on his face. He smiled slightly, even though another series of coughs interrupted it. Maybe he didn’t mind being sick so much if Liam was there to take care of him, and at least he knew that it meant that he would be better again very soon._

~♤~

The days were turning into weeks and the weeks into months as Theo could feel himself relax. At first he tried to fight the feeling of peace that slowly crept up on him. It was a malevolent process, dangerous to allow to proceed because for the first time in all his hundred of years Theo had something to lose.

  
Liam was not just, like he first thought, a decent master, not degrading him, letting him sleep in a real bed and not his lamp, even taking him outside in the real world instead of just firing out his three wishes. No, the young man was selfless, loving and purely good. Every single wish he had done, in every time they ever met, shows this goodness and Theo could feel himself dreading the day all this ends more and more. The longer he stayed with Liam, the longer he took to wish, the more Theo wanted to stay.  
And it seemed like Liam felt the same, at first, only one wish had been fulfilled since Liam had left the Antique Store for the fourth time.

But like all good things this blissful state of _maybe this is the one_ had to end. The ending came on a beautiful, warm midsummer's day. It came in form of Theo's most dreaded words.  
"I have a wish."

For a moment he thought he was in a bad dream, not wanting to believe that they were one step closer to the end, but he couldn't resist, the pull inside his chest would force him to fulfill his master's desires anyway.  
"What can I do for you, Liam?"

"I want a private concert."  
_What?_

Of course he should have known. Even a wish that sounded so egoistic and self-serving like this would turn into an amazing thing when a human like Liam voices it.

Theo was sitting on the swinging chair, hanging on the porch in the garden of Liam's childhood home. It was a cozy little house, romantic even - if it wasn't filled to the brim with people. In every room is laughter and conversation, smiling men and women gathered to celebrate Jenna Geyer's birthday.  
The woman herself was currently standing in the backyard, just a few feet away from the resting genie and next to her son.  
She had tears in her eyes, a crumpled tissue clutched in her hands and a big smile on her face.  
Both humans had their attentions on the small but well lit stage that Theo made appear the night before in a far corner of the garden, they, as well as many of the guests, were listening to the band playing on it. From the way Jenna squealed when she saw her surprise it was blatantly obvious that this had been another wish for someone else's benefit.

"How did you even do this?"  
Liam smiled secretly, his arm around his mother's waist, "I have my connections."

  
And Theo, despite his heavy heart, couldn't help but smile with him.

~♤~

_Theo looked up at Liam a little tense sitting across from him at the table, and he stabbed his fork down in the Chinese take-out that Liam had bought for them earlier. The fact that he was still a terrible cook but had a nice dinner for Theo despite that, brought a small smile to Theo’s face, and a warm feeling blossomed in his chest._

  
_He knew how lucky he was that Liam had wandered into the small antique shop a third time, but Theo knew that it didn’t mean anything. It was just chance._

  
_He wanted to do it different this time around though, even if Liam didn’t remember him. He wanted to do better and not have it end in a huge fight again, like the first two times they’d met. After thinking about it, he knew how stupid he’d reacted when Liam suggested he’d wish for a cat. It was true; he had always wanted one. He could have a cat around during the day when Liam had to work and wasn’t home. And by now it was clear that Liam was different, he really wasn’t anything like everyone else he’d met. Liam cared, about others, he was good. Theo knew that they only had three wishes together, but if he could just be careful, watch what he said, it wouldn’t end in another fight. He would do what it takes._

  
_‘How’s the food?’ Liam asked, interrupting his thoughts, with a small chuckle. ‘Good? If I had to cook this myself it would’ve burnt I’m sure.’_  
_Theo smiled. ‘I’m sure it’s not that bad,’ he said, though he chuckled thinking back on the time they had tried to bake cookies together and Theo had to save them. His smile disappeared at the thought that Liam didn’t remember that. If anything, it made him feel more annoyed towards himself for being what he was, for not thinking before he spoke and not being able to stick around. At times like that, he hated his life the most._  
_‘No seriously,’ Liam laughed. ‘Maybe that’s what I should wish for, you know, me being a better cook.’_

  
_Theo’’s blood ran cold, his mouth suddenly feeling dry as he looked up. ‘I can…’ he started, but Liam shook his head. ‘No I was kidding Theo. We're doing great with the take-out, right?’_  
_Theo chuckled stiffly. ‘Right.’_  
_‘Though…’ Liam continued more seriously then, putting down his knife and fork, and Theo swallowed. ‘Now that we’re talking about it, I wondered if I… If I could make my first wish.’_  
_Theo felt the cold return again, and he looked up. He knew that Liam had to make his wishes again eventually, but he hoped he’d have more time. That he could spend more time with the other boy. ‘Sure,’ he muttered flatly. ‘What will it be?’_  
_‘Well, we’re just sitting here eating, but not everyone can do that, you know?’ Liam rambled. ‘So I was thinking, that I wish to end world hunger.’_

  
_Theo stared up at him, his jaw dropped, but feeling like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. ‘Liam,’ he started. ‘Liam, you can’t wish for that,’ he said. ‘How am I even supposed to grant that wish?’ A smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and he chuckled, relieved that he could stay with Liam longer now, but a little guilty that he couldn’t make his wish come true. ‘How do you think I can do that, grant a wish for every hungry person on the planet? There are limits to this, you know.’_

  
_‘So, you can’t do it?’ Liam asked, his eyebrows raised._  
_‘No,’ Theo chuckled, shaking his head laughing. ‘If it were possible I would’ve made someone_  
_wish for it already. But you’ve crossed the limits so far with this one it’s kinda ridiculous.’_  
_‘You think me wanting to end world hunger is ridiculous?’ Liam asked, his jaw clenched tight._  
_Theo realized he said something wrong too late, and looked up. He thought they were just joking, but the way Liam phrased it… ‘No, Liam, that’s not what I…’ he started desperately, but Liam wouldn’t let him finish. ‘It’s not funny,’ he said, so low that it was almost a growl. ‘And you haven’t even explained the rules to me that clearly, so how could I know?’_

  
_Theo looked up at him, a scared feeling washing over him. He knew where this was headed, had been there before. And that after he’d sworn to be more careful. Theo couldn’t believe he was here again, he thought with tears stinging in his eyes. The fact that this was only the first wish, and their time together was cut short so suddenly and unexpected, stung even worse._  
_‘Are you not gonna say anything?’ Liam said lowly. ‘You think this is so funny? Fine! Then I wish I’d never found that damned lamp!’ he hissed._

  
_Theo’s blood froze, something heavy and painful pressing on his chest. There they were… The words that ended everything, and he always tried so hard to avoid. Why couldn’t he make it work? What… What was wrong with him?_  
_‘Your wish is my command,’ he said flatly, tears stinging in his eyes, and the urge to add ‘master’ to it burning on his tongue, making him feel nauseous. He snapped his fingers, just like the two times before, the room began to spin in the same familiar way, and it was then that he realized that it was like a pattern. The first time they’d met, Liam hadn’t wanted him gone until the third wish. Then the second time, it was the second wish. And now… Now it was the first, cutting their time together short. Theo looked around him, not letting the tears flow down his face until he was sure he was gone from the living room, and saw Liam looking at the two plates of food before him in confusion, as if he wondered who could’ve been eating dinner with him._

  
_The sight of it broke Theo’s heart, leaving a constant stinging hurt in his chest. Because it seemed he wasn’t even capable of giving Liam three wishes. Because the universe was playing some cruel game with him, where his time with Liam was shorter every time. And yet, it seemed he was forced to meet him over and over again, every time and watch as Liam didn’t remember him. Theo wished he knew why, a bitter laugh spilling past his lips at the cruel irony that he couldn’t fulfill his own wishes. He was stuck in this endless circle with Liam, waiting in the antique shop until the boy found him again. And it was less cruel to him. Now all he could do was wait, in the antique shop, until Liam bought his lamp again. All while his hopes of getting out of this circle and spending all three wishes with Liam, were undeniably and hurtfully crushed._

~♤~

(Epilogue)

"One wish left, master. Choose wisely."  
Theo watched Liam’s emotion flash over his face warily. This was it. The all deciding point of no return. Would it end like last time? Would he lose the man he loved once more?

He wanted to say something, anything, to persuade Liam, tell him how he felt, but he couldn’t. Staring into Liam’s eyes, glossy from tears he knew that it had to be his choice, and his alone, if he forced himself onto Liam they both would never be happy and if he had to live with Liam wishing him away for all eternity it would be worth it for those brief happy moments in between.

"I want you to love me."

Stunned silence filled the room. “What?” Theo whispered, not sure if his hearing had betrayed him.

  
“Theo, we spent so much time together and I know you only stayed because of the wishes and I have never been so selfish in my whole life but I have to at least try. So I wish that you would love me.”

A trickling on his cheek made Theo aware of the fact that he was crying too, real tears, and when he finally spoke his voice nearly broke. "I'm...regretfully...forced...toinform...arg...you…thatYouCan'tWishForThingsThatAreAlreadyTrue."  
"What?"  
"You can't wish for things that are already true."  
Liam still stared at him, just as frozen in place as Theo had been a few moments before.

"I love you, you fucking moron."  
Liam didn’t miss a beat.  
"Then I wish for your freedom. I was afraid you'd leave me if you were free, but..."

Theo laughed and it sounded happy for the first time in what feels like forever.  
"You're the dumbest master I've ever had. I could never leave you."

"I'm the only one you fell in love with, though."  
"And?"  
"That has to count for something." Liam came closer, a shiteating grin on his face, Theo crossed his arms in mock disinterest, "You wasted your last wish, that’s what it counts for.”

  
  
Now Liam was so close Theo could feel his hot breath ghosting over his lips. "Best wish ever spent."  
"Yeah... Yeah." Then he leans forward to finally do what he yearned for all those years.


End file.
